Temperature control is an important factor in products which proper state of conservation for subsequent consumption or use, depends on their being kept at a given temperature. This is the case, for example, of the food industry of frozen products and, particularly, of the meat industry. In this sense, it is well known that meat conservation at the adequate temperature is one of the main conditions required to prevent the development of bacteria and microorganisms posing a health risk both to human beings and animals consuming such meats. This applies to food storage and transport as well as to cooking.
The international organizations which establish food conservation standards recommend that temperature measurement be made taken both on the surface and the inside of food products. Undoubtedly, measuring the inner temperature is difficult in the case of frozen foods, because the penetration probes used for this purpose, usually called meat probes, cannot penetrate the food product due to molecule crystallization and subsequent hardening of the product.
In the prior art on the subject matter several devices and methods are known for piercing frozen foods and measuring their inner temperature. One of the most rudimentary forms is to pierce them using a nail and hammer so to make a hole which allows introducing a measuring probe, but the problem is that the fact of “hammering” a frozen piece poses the risk of damaging or fracturing the piece of food. It is also possible to use an electric drill to do the piercing, but this method considerably increases the temperature of the frozen food because of the friction generated by the drill bit and, besides, it is not always possible to use this method in places where the temperature of frozen products is controlled on a regular basis, such as cold storage chambers, refrigerated trucks, storage warehouses and transport, etc.
Another well-known device consists of a stainless steel probe with a “bit brace” type end containing a thermistor or thermocouple therein, where the probe usually has a plug connecting to some kind of digital thermometer or, else, can include a digital indicator or display head. This device solves the main disadvantages of the previously mentioned devices, since penetration is done smoothly, without any risk of damaging the piece to be measured and without friction that would modify its temperature, while requiring little physical effort from the operator. For this reason these devices are widely used in the market. Nevertheless, one of their main disadvantages is their high cost, plus the fact that they need frequent replacement because the head is generally made of plastic and, therefore, is easily damaged by use.
Contrarily to the devices previously mentioned as prior art examples, the instant accessory for measuring temperatures in solidified products, such as frozen meats and frozen food in general, provides easy piercing of the frozen products and taking a correct temperature measurement therein, as it will be clearly evidenced in the detailed description, which makes reference to the drawings shown according to a preferred embodiment to be put into practice.
The advantages of the proposed accessory include its “universal” nature, i.e., its capacity to adapt to most of the meat probe thermometers known, so it can be used even with thermometers which are not adapted to pierce hard substances such as frozen products. On the other hand, by avoiding mechanical efforts on the structure of the meat probe thermometer, this accessory extends its useful life and allows using fragile thermometers without damaging them even after repeated use. Due to its structural sturdiness, as it is made of stainless steel, normally this accessory is not likely to break and needs no replacement of pieces because it will not wear out in continuous use.
Another advantage lies in its bit brace end which allows smooth penetration without damaging the piece or generating temperature increases induced by friction.
A further advantage of the accessory of the invention is that the response of the probe, the temperature sensor or the thermometer being used is virtually as fast as if it were directly in contact with the product which temperature is being measured. This is because the temperature-sensitive end is located inside the accessory only a few millimeters away from the outer surface, and this reduces considerably the thermal lag.
Still another advantage of this accessory is that it features a fixed or removable traverse operator handle, providing the operator with added torque to pierce the frozen food with minimum effort.
An additional advantage of the accessory of the invention is that it can also be used to measure higher temperatures, such as those occurring in cooked food, which inner temperature needs to be precisely controlled.